West des moines iowa real estate

Last Updated Mar 2, 2010 6:31 PM EST When will the value of your house finally start climbing again? Below are exclusive forecasts compiled by financial services company Fiserv for 384 real estate markets across the United States. For the most part, the numbers are moving higher — Boston suburbs and parts of Washington state are expected to see sharp gains, and the San Francisco Bay Area is positively booming. While there may be more pain to come in hard-hit Vegas and Miami, at least the double-digit losses are expected to end. Even Salinas, Calif., where home prices were cut by more than half when the bubble burst, is forecast to see a modest increase in prices by next fall. “We are still trying to sort through how much of this new housing demand was caused by government stimulus and how much was intrinsic,” says Mark Fleming, chief economist at First American Core Logic, a real estate research company. He says that, in general, diversified economies (think … [Read more...] about Real Estate Price Forecast: City by City

Published 7:24 am, Saturday, February 17, 2018 DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The towering structure in Des Moines' Western Gateway can only be described as one thing: Unique. Kum & Go's new headquarters doesn't open for another nine months, but the massive 160,000-square-foot (14,900-sq. meter) building is already turning heads with its distinct architecture and innovative features. The Des Moines Register got a behind-the-scenes tour of the Krause Gateway Center in early February. Pallets of interior finishes line every floor of the six-story building and some spaces for windows are covered only with plastic sheeting. But its grandeur is still evident. Recommended Video: Now Playing: Des Moines' Western Gateway Park has become a popular spot for events like the Arts Festival. Now it's been named a "Frontline Park." Media: KCCI One of the most notable features is the two-story atrium facing the Pappajohn Sculpture Park along Grand Avenue. It's made up of … [Read more...] about Kum & Go’s $151M headquarters turns heads in Des Moines

The towering structure in Des Moines' Western Gateway can only be described as one thing: Unique. Kum & Go's new headquarters doesn't open for another nine months, but the massive 160,000-square-foot building is already turning heads with its distinct architecture and innovative features. The Des Moines Register got a behind-the-scenes tour of the Krause Gateway Center, 1459 Grand Ave., this week. Pallets of interior finishes line every floor of the six-story building and spaces for windows are covered only with plastic sheeting. But its grandeur is still evident. One of the most notable features is the two-story atrium facing the Pappajohn Sculpture Park along Grand Avenue. It's made up of 29 individual glass panels each standing 29 feet tall. They weigh 4,000 pounds a piece. Then there are the overhangs on every floor above, each containing several thousand more pounds of glass, allowing natural light to pour in. RELATED: … [Read more...] about Get the first look inside Kum & Go’s downtown Des Moines headquarters

Last year was a banner year for luxury real estate in the Des Moines metro. Eighteen homes sold for $1 million or more in 2017, property records show. That breaks the previous record of 12 million-dollar homes sold in 2016.Rick Wanamaker, an agent with Iowa Realty who specializes in high-end real estate, said several things contributed to the large number of high-dollar homes sold in the metro, including a strong local economy and low interest rates.Plus, there are just a lot more million-dollar homes in the Des Moines area than ever before, he said. "People kind of forget about the bad times and they're ready for some good times. And one of the ways they celebrate the good times is with a new house, a better house," he said. Rick and his wife, Marcia Wanamaker, have been tracking the $1 million-plus market since 2004. No more than nine homes were sold in each year prior to 2016, the data show.Last year's home sales were primarily in the suburbs, … [Read more...] about These are the most expensive homes sold in Des Moines in 2017

Nearly 2,000 new apartments opened in downtown Des Moines in 2017, creating an issue that property managers haven't seen in years: a glut of vacant units.Des Moines has been in a building boom for the past decade, with more than $3 billion invested in downtown projects in that time, according to the Greater Des Moines Partnership.The return of residential units to downtown has been at the forefront of that renaissance.Since the 2008 recession, real estate developers have steadily been building apartments. Several hundred units have opened in the past few years.With downtown living in high demand, property owners have had little trouble filling those spots.But with an unprecedented wave of apartments coming online this year, many property managers have turned to move-in specials to get potential renters in the door."This is the first year that supply exceeds demand," said Jake Christensen, president of Christensen Development in the East Village, which opened … [Read more...] about Downtown Des Moines hit with glut of vacant apartments

Jennifer Galdames’ stepfather was in jail in Marshalltown, about to be deported; her biological father had been killed years earlier in the Guatemalan violence that has sent so many fleeing north. Her mother was packing to voluntarily return to that country with Jennifer’s 8-year-old sister, Samantha, after being picked up by immigration agents Oct. 5 in West Des Moines. But Jennifer, who arrived in the U.S. only three years ago, had applied for legal residency. She's just a year and a half from graduating from high school. Leaving now would mean throwing away much of what the family had worked toward.Newlyweds Tom Ahart and Jami Bassman Ahart were settling into their new Des Moines home with 6-year-old Eli, the son Bassman adopted as an infant. Tom is superintendent of Des Moines schools. Jami is a real estate agent and an actress. Then, on Oct. 26, they found themselves at the Des Moines … [Read more...] about A teen was caught in immigration limbo. So Des Moines schools’ superintendent and his wife sheltered a stranger.

Editor's note: This story by the Register's Daniel P. Finney originally ran in 2012 for the 20th anniversary of the Drake Diner slayings.The time was 7 p.m. on Nov. 29, 1992. At least 40 people filled the Drake Diner in Des Moines on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. A line wound out the front door on the cool, drizzly night.A man wearing a hooded sweatshirt pushed past the crowd at the front of the restaurant. He grabbed a manager, Cara McGrane, 25, by the neck. She screamed. The man shot her in the face. She died instantly.Another manager, Tim Burnett, 28, had come in on his day off to decorate a Christmas tree at the restaurant. He went to help McGrane. The gunman shot Burnett in the head. He, too, died instantly.The killer grabbed less than $500 from the cash register and fled out the door as others ducked for cover.Inside the diner, blood pooled in front of the hostess desk. Outside, one of the most intense police dragnets in the capital's history began to unfold, at the same time … [Read more...] about From the archives: Drake Diner murders terrified Des Moines 25 years ago

Auto Repair FIRST PLACE: DOWNEY TIRE PROSTaking their business seriously, but also having fun, Downey Tire Pros creates a comfortable atmosphere for its customers, while getting down to the important task of quality oil changes, steering and suspension repairs, brake service, diesel engine repair and much more. Bonus services include pick-up and delivery and a lounge stocked withFind it: 103 W 2nd Ave., IndianolaInfo: 515-961-0345; downeytire.com SECOND PLACE: WEST SIDE AUTO BODYAttributing their long-running success to a staff of “outstanding” well-trained employees, West Side Auto Body has been a destination for collision repair since 1976, offering free estimates on minor and major work and a lifetime warranty on most repairs.Find it: 1838 Fuller Rd., West Des MoinesInfo: 515-223-0134; westsideautobodyinc.com THIRD PLACE: WOODY'S REPAIR SHOPDedicated to producing consistent, quality work, the Woody's Auto Repair … [Read more...] about The Des Moines Register Metro’s Best for 2017

The city of Des Moines has hatched a plan to thwart the federal government from building a courthouse at downtown’s Riverfront YMCA site — a property city officials say should be used for private development. On Monday, the City Council voted on a “put agreement,” which would obligate the city to buy the 2-acre property from Hubbell Realty Co. for $5.2 million if Hubbell chooses not to develop the land by May 31, 2018.In return, Hubbell has agreed to withdraw the property from consideration for the $137 million federal courthouse.The agreement essentially provides a safety net for Hubbell, encouraging the company to pursue a private development for the site, while forcing the federal government to look elsewhere for a courthouse site. The agreement was passed unanimously Monday, WHO TV reports. Hubbell’s latest plans for the site include a hotel, a condo development and possibly restaurant or retail space. CEO Rick Tollakson said he … [Read more...] about Des Moines cuts deal to prevent federal courthouse at the Riverfront YMCA site

It’s been called Des Moines’ worst eyesore, a “scab” on downtown and one of the city’s most polluted properties. The Dico Inc. property, a closed manufacturing plant on the southwest side of downtown, has sat empty for two decades, attracting squatters and irking city leaders who want to see the highly visible property cleaned up, sold and redeveloped.Efforts to revitalize the Dico site have faced strong headwinds.Contaminated by chemical leaks and carcinogenic building materials, the 38-acre property is listed as a Superfund site — a federal designation reserved for the nation’s most toxic waste sites — and has been tied up in legal battles for years.But now, local officials say they have new reasons for optimism.Among them is the new Trump administration. New Environmental Protection Agency Director Scott Pruitt has made redeveloping Superfund sites a priority and has called for expediting cleanup efforts, cutting red … [Read more...] about There’s new hope for developing Des Moines’ most notorious toxic site